Lost and Found
by FallingStorm
Summary: Nightleaf is a warrior of ThunderClan since kithood. His father is here. But his mother is not. Nobody except his father even knows who his mother is, but all that he will tell Nightleaf is his mother's name, Dusk. Nightleaf goes to look for the cat by the name of Dusk and finds out something that may change his mind once and for all. One-shot.


**So here's my one-shot… ENJOY!**

* * *

"Rogue. Kittypet. Half-Clan. You could be _any_ of them." A tortoiseshell she-cat paced in front of her companion, a black tom. She pushed her face closer to his, "You could be part fat, spoiled, dumb kittypet!"

The black tom was staring off into the trees. To any other cat it might look that he wasn't listening. But he was. He just didn't need this cat telling him again what he already knew was true. But it wasn't even that he could be half-clan, rogue or kittypet that bothered him the most. It was the fact that his mother, the cat that nobody but his father knew, had abandoned him. He had never known her; she had abandoned him with his father when he was a kit. That was the story anyway. And anytime the young tom had tried to ask his father about who his mother was his father had turned away, telling him only that her name was Dusk and that was how he had received the name Night. Then if he tried pursuing further, tried to know anything else about Dusk, all his father said was that he loved him and that was all that mattered. Now that didn't help matters.

Nightleaf padded away from the tortoiseshell, his ears pricked for the sound of prey.

"Come on, half-clan flea-pelt! Can't you catch any prey?"

Despite his bristling fur, Nightleaf responded evenly, "We're not apprentices anymore, Quailfur; it would be nice if you could stop the bickering." Quailfur was only a half-moon older than Nightleaf but seemed to have enough chatter for a life-time more.

A snort of amusement, or maybe disgust, sounded from the she-cat. "Alright, good luck hunting kittypet."

 _Annoying fur-ball._ Nightleaf growled under his breath as he pushed farther into the undergrowth, searching for sign of prey.

It didn't take long for the black tom to have a collection of two mice and a blackbird. He grabbed the prey in his jaws and headed back for camp.

As he set the prey upon the fresh-kill pile, Quailfur and Poppydapple entered the camp, their own prey, a vole, two shrews, and a mouse, dangling from their jaws.

As the sun climbed into its highest point of the day, the other cats of ThunderClan began to laze about, bathing in the sun's warmth, dining on prey, or sharing tongues. Nightleaf though was restless. He headed back out into the forest, only to be stopped by Cloudstep on watch duty.

"Where are you headed off to now?" The white tom sounded tired, as if he'd rather be joining his clanmates snoozing in the sun.

"Just for a walk." Nightleaf knew that wasn't entirely true, but also knew Cloudstep likely wouldn't have let him go if he had told him the whole truth.

Cloudstep flicked his tail, "Alright. Just don't wear yourself out too much. Don't forget you're on patrol later."

 _Sorry, but I don't know if I'll be back in time for that,_ Nightleaf thought with a flick of his ear.

As the fences marking the border between ThunderClan and the Twoleg place loomed into view, fear began to send Nightleaf's tail twitching and eyes scanning the fence. _Twolegs, monsters, dogs._ The dangers repeated in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he leapt onto the fence.

"Who are you?" A cheerful meow made Nightleaf turn. Just a few tail-lengths away a pure-white she-cat was perched on the branch of a tiny tree. "Are you new? Did your housefolk just move here?"

Nightleaf blinked. "New? Housefolk?"

The white she-cat purred, "You must be from far away. Maybe as far as Esther! Housefolk, those tall creatures with no furand two legs, they give us food and everything, them? Which home do you live in? I didn't know anyone left, so I mean it was a surprise to see you-

She stopped as Nightleaf began heading down the fence, balancing precariously on the thin posts.

"Where are you going? You never told me your name!" The kittypet called after him. "I'm Sophie!"

"Nightleaf!"

"Nightleaf? What a strange name!"

 _Strange? I thought_ Sophie _was strange!_

"Hey wait up!" Nightleaf turned to find that Sophie was following him, her dainty white paws gliding gracefully over the fence as she caught up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm looking for my mother."

"You're mother? You really aren't from around here are you?"

"I live in the forest." Nightleaf replied, hopping over a branch that overhung the fence.

Sophie had paused on the other side, her mouth open wide in astonishment, "You're- you're a wild cat?"

"I guess," Nightleaf's tail twitched.

"Will you eat my bones?" The white kittypet's eyes were wide and fearful.

Nightleaf let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Of course not."

"Oh okay, because my friend Misty told me that the wild cats that live in the forest eat our bones and fight for fun!"

Nightleaf's ears pricked. "Well, I should be going, I need to find a cat named Dusk, ever heard of her?"

"Nope!" Sophie paused to wash a paw, "You know, wild life sounds hard, I'm sure my housefolk wouldn't mind taking care of you! Then you could live with me!"

Nightleaf suppressed a shudder. "No thanks," Was all he said before hopping down from the fence, into a narrow alley. The fences soon ended and were replaced by tall walls that left Nightleaf in dark shadows.

"Who are you?" A growl startled Nightleaf. "This is my alley, if you challenge me, I'll fight you."

A small speckled she-cat stalked out of the shadows, long silver claws glinting in darkness.

"Quinn, look what I found!" The cat yowled.

A large orange and white tom bounded down the alley, a small bell on his blue collar alerting to Nightleaf that he was a kittypet. But not one that Nightleaf cared to mess with, noticing one sharp tooth poking out from his mouth.

"No worries," Nightleaf assured the cat quickly, "I'm just passing through."

"You better be!" The she-cat yowled after him as he hurriedly left the alley, coming to meet a Thunderpath lined with twoleg dens.

After walking along the hard stone path, Nightleaf was glad to find a patch of grass along one side of the Thunderpath. A tall, thin structure, like a straight, hard tree sprouted from the grass, the top curving into a circular disk where light poured from, spilling onto the grass as the sun began to sink.

A patch of bushes spread across the ground in the middle of the grass, a welcoming sight to Nightleaf's sore paws. Exhausted, he quickly scooped together a nest in the middle of the bushes, and fell asleep within moments.

When Nightleaf woke, warm dawn light was spilling into the brush. As he crawled out, he noticed a brown tabby she-cat sitting a little ways off, grooming.

"Hello," He greeted the she-cat politely.

"Hello," The brown tabby stood, her tail swishing. For a moment the she-cat's piercing green eyes seemed familiar, but Nightleaf pushed the feeling away.

 _I must be imagining it._

"I'm not from around here and I was wondering if you knew a cat by the name of Dusk?" He questioned, hope flickering in his chest. _Please, I must find my mother._

Warmth spread through the tabby's green eyes, "I do, that would be me."

Surprise shot through Nightleaf. _That's why her eyes seem so familiar! They look just like mine!_

"Dusk…" Nightleaf couldn't help a purr from rising in his throat, "I am your son, I am Nightleaf," He tried to explain.

"You found me at last." Dusk purred, padding closer to her son.

"You've been waiting for me?" Nightleaf couldn't believe his ears. Maybe his mother _did_ want him after all. Maybe she hadn't wanted to leave him in ThunderClan.

"For longer than you could imagine."

All the questions Nightleaf had ever had about his mother came rushing forward, "Then why didn't you come find me?" He blurted out, "Why did you leave me there at all?"

Dusk's whiskers twitched in amusement, "Let's get comfortable, and I can answer all your questions,"

Nightleaf nodded reluctantly, though he didn't think he could wait another moment for answers. The two cats found a soft path of grass swathed in warm dawn sunlight, and Nightleaf folded his tail neatly over his paws, waiting expectantly for his mother's answers.

"You should know that I never wanted to leave you," Dusk murmured, her tail resting on Nightleaf's shoulder. "I always loved you."

 _Then why?_ Nightleaf nearly cried out-loud.

"But I knew you'd have a better life with your father, in the Clans."

"But I never knew who my mother was, I never knew whether you were a kittypet or a rogue or a warrior of another Clan!"

"He never told you about me then?"

"No, just your name."

"It was for the better," Dusk murmured, though sadness seeped into her voice.

"I don't understand how." Nightleaf muttered.

"That doesn't matter now though," Dusk mewed briskly as she stood, "I imagine you should be returning to your clan now?"

"Well…" Nightleaf hesitated, "I don't know… I'd at least like to spend one day with my mother. Just one day at least and I can go back, if that's alright."

"Of course it's alright," Dusk purred, "I'd spend my lifetime with you if I could."

"Well maybe we can start now," Nightleaf mewed, "I never did fit in with ThunderClan,"

Dusk didn't respond; she simply turned away, though Nightleaf didn't miss the cloud of grief that had misted her eyes.

 _Grief for what though?_

"Should we hunt?" Dusk swept her tail toward the alley ways, "There is a huge mouse nest just over here…"

The sun was sinking below the horizon and Nightleaf's paws felt like they might fall off any moment after a day of hunting and walking and all sorts of things with his mother. But he was happy. He had finally met his mother. She was here, and she wanted him. Joy spread through Nightleaf like a raindrop in the river.

Shadows stretched across the twoleg place as Nightleaf and Dusk curled up among the bushes, just like Nightleaf had done the night before, only without his mother. A contented sigh escaped Nightleaf as he slipped into sleep.

Nightleaf woke just before dawn, when the sky above the Twoleg place was just lightening. The place beside him, where Dusk had curled up beside him was oddly empty and cold. Pushing his way out of the bushes, he spotted a white tom with a black splash across his back and chest.

"Hello," Nightleaf greeted the tom. "Do you know where Dusk is?"

The tom stared at Nightleaf, bewilderment clouding his eyes.

"I guess you don't know her," Nightleaf was about to turn to go, when the tom spoke, "Yes, I know Dusk."

"Do you know where she is?" Nightleaf's ears pricked.

The white and black tom was silent, before finally answering; "She was killed by a monster many moons ago."

* * *

 **The end! :3 Hope you enjoyed!**


End file.
